Stephen Jones: England facing Grand finale

Lansdowne Road will host an historic occasion next Sunday as Ireland and England do battle for the Grand Slam

Just for fleeting moments in Cardiff yesterday, it seemed that Ireland would miss out on their own Grand Slam party. But we have our epic finale, we have a Grand Slam shoot-out. The sporting, sociological and historical significance of the encounter in Dublin next Sunday will be as mighty as an athletic clash can be.

If England win, then the resulting boost to their confidence, the fact that they become the hemisphere’s champions, will see them enter the next phase of their World Cup preparations as no worse than joint-favourites to become world champions.

Before yesterday’s matches, it seemed that England would go in as favourites, but by a tiny margin. That changed yesterday as Ireland’s fumbling contrasted with real England authority.

But it would still be preposterous to see it all as some kind of looming English cruise. For a start, the sense of Irish history in the making